Incident highlights busy day for city firefighters

A fire damaged a home on Catharine Street in the City of Poughkeepsie Tuesday night, just as city firefighters had finished responding to a manhole fire less than a mile away, according to Chief Mark Johnson.

Firefighters were called to 118 Catharine St. at 6:36 p.m. after residents of the single-family residence saw smoke, Johnson said.

The residents were able to evacuate and no firefighters suffered injuries, he said.

Johnson said it appears a wood stove caused a fire in a rear wall.

Firefighters had responded early Tuesday to manhole fires just a few blocks away on Catharine Street and then again to another underground fire in the area of Main and Hamilton streets around 5:40 p.m.

"It was a really busy day for us," Johnson said. "Two manhole fires and a house fire so far, and it’s only 7 p.m."